Visual discovery platform Pinterest is visited by more than 482 million people worldwide each month and is a haven for finding inspiration, ideas, trends, and products to shop for. 

One of Pinterest’s newest additions is its educational site for creators of all kinds. Its primary goal is to provide content creators with all the resources they need to succeed, such as best practices, tips, and trend insights.

The website is available in 13 languages and covers Pinterest fundamentals and advanced content creation topics to help creators succeed on the platform.  

Some of the educational website’s top features and resources for creators include: 

• How to earn money on Pinterest
• How to join Pinterest’s Creator Inclusion Fund  
• How to submit content for the chance to be featured on Pinterest’s editorial surfaces
• Pinterest trends to try every month 
• How to submit content to be featured on a Shopping Spotlight, a shoppable feature that brings creators’ on-trend content to one of the most trafficked areas on Pinterest
• Pinterest’s global content calendar which helps creators get a head start on content planning all year long
• A blog with Pinterest’s latest creator initiatives and product news
• Creator success stories 

In addition to being a resource to find the best information on successful content creation on Pinterest, the website aims to inspire creators. 

Sara Mormino, Vice President, Content Growth & Insights, Pinterest, shares, “For example, trends you can try based on what people are looking for and starting to look for, sparking ideas on what to create next. The content calendar, which has been recently updated to help with content planning and strategy… it’s created to keep empowering them.”

The Creator Inclusion Fund

Pinterest’s Creator Inclusion Fund celebrates three years of providing more opportunities for creators from underrepresented communities. Recently, the program has expanded internationally, with cycles slated for France, the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. 

The Creator Inclusion Fund is a six-week incubator program that gives participants access to Pinterest experts, weekly office hours, content workshops, and other best practices. In addition, participants receive a grant in the form of cash. 

The program has also expanded to include creators and content producers, such as independent publishers, content collectives, and digital magazines dedicated to sharing content from and for audiences across historically underrepresented communities. 

Mormino adds, “Inclusivity is not just an expectation. It’s a key driver for our company, and it’s not limited to this program. We have a long history of creating products and policies that foster inclusivity. One example is the weight loss ban or the climate misinformation policy… Pinterest, probably unlike any other platform, is diverse by default.”

Monetization Opportunities on Pinterest

There are many monetization opportunities available to creators on Pinterest, including: 

• Links in Pins (creators can redirect viewers with affiliate links or links to other sources of revenue like a Patreon or Shopify store)
• Paid partnership tools (paid collaborations with brands — creators can directly connect brands to the content they’re showing using Pinterest’s tools) 

Getting Featured on Pinterest

If you’re a creator making Pins about highlighted trends, apply to get featured on Pinterest for additional exposure. 

Wondering what will give you a leg up when applying?

Mormino shares, “When we consider content to feature, we look for content that is inspiring, engaging, actionable, but also diverse and inclusive. Obviously, it should also be timely and trending or aligned to the programming weeks that we have for the programming calendar.”

Interested? Creators can submit their content using the submission form or locate the form at the bottom of the Trends page.

How Does Pinterest Identify Trends Each Month? 

Pinterest identifies monthly trends by looking for topics with a high and rising search volume. 

These trends are shared on Pinterest’s new Creator Trends page, so creators can use this to their advantage to create content based on these rising trends. 

For example, Mormino says, “Users on Pinterest start looking for pumpkin carving ideas for Halloween as early as August. This allows us to basically set up our creators for success because we catch this wave of searches in advance and plan ahead of time for content that people are looking for.”

The Shopping Spotlight

Pinterest’s Shopping Spotlight brings attention to trends and seasonal content on a heavy traffic area of Pinterest, the search landing page. These products are showcased as Pins and appear on the search landing page at the bottom if you scroll down on your Pinterest page. 

So, what’s so great about this?

People can easily buy what they see, capturing the joy and excitement around in-person shopping, but in a digital medium. 

Mormino explains, “This is a place that is meant to capture the joy of the full shopping experience from outfit ideas and how-tos to products and roundups and picks that are created in partnership with our creators. Creators can submit their Product Pins for consideration using the submission form on the Shopping Spotlight page.”

Currently, this feature is only available in the United States, the UK, and Canada.

Advice for Aspiring Creators on Pinterest

Mormino shares that creators should “just start.” 

Don’t wait until you have the “right” equipment. Instead, start creating and getting involved with the platform and community. 

The nice part about creating for Pinterest is that you can create new content, but you can also repurpose your existing content. If you’re stuck for ideas, use Pinterest Trends to help you overcome this mental block and identify topics that people are looking for currently. 

The Future of the Creator Economy and Pinterest 

Mormino says, “We want to continue to remain a safe, inclusive, and inspiring place for creators where they can find inspiration and also inspire others. As I said before, we see this constant challenge of balancing content creation with chasing an algorithm and facing burnout as a result.” 

In addition, Mormino and the Pinterest team want to see more and more creators value spending time on things they love and not chasing the algorithm and facing burnout. 

One of the benefits of creating for Pinterest is that it’s effectively evergreen, so your content won’t be hidden or unappreciated after a certain amount of time, giving you more bang for the time invested in creating Pinterest content. 

Mormino also sees more creators going into a niche and becoming experts in their domain, such as guiding others on purchases for a niche craft. 

Going forward, Pinterest can be a practical planning and content creation tool for creators, allowing them to save time with helpful content planning and quicker identification of trends.